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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. last — final
  3. dip — to sink
  4. last — to go on
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. tear — to rip
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. last — finally
  13. march — music
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. march — the month
  21. tear — from crying
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com